


A Song for Shattered Survivors

by Nonami



Category: Homestuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-09
Updated: 2015-08-06
Packaged: 2018-04-08 12:57:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4305966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nonami/pseuds/Nonami
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Humanity is on the brink of extinction. The oceans have risen. Pale white beasts roam the earth in search of fresh flesh to consume. The witch has taken control, her mantras still echoing in those who struggle to survive on the harsh planet. Here we see the stories of those survivors.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Be John.

Running. Running is all John knows now. For this entire hellish year, there's always something to run from. Today, he runs from the ocean, and its ever rising tides. Liquid laps at his heels like a dehydrated dog, reminding him that death was ever near. John had experienced too much to give in to the idea of letting go now. He had lost too much to just let go. John keeps running.  
  
        While he runs, John has to be aware of the oncoming obstacles that laid in his path. He couldn't let his mind go idle, he had to stay sharp. He could not drift from reality for a second, there was always debris to navigate, a couch to vault, or a corpse to avoid. He was constantly parkouring the chaotic landscape,  grabbing useful utensils up when he could. Only things he deemed useful enough, though. He could not carry any extra weight on his shoulders, if it would slow him down. The waves were close enough as is.  
  
        The worst things to run up were hills, but ultimately they were incredibly rewarding. The water takes a very long time to climb the hills, and  it gives john his time to rest. He uses this time to gather his thoughts and organize his inventory, anything he doesn't deem worthy or light enough to keep gets offered to the water, and the water always accepts. He also uses this time to rest, steal a quick nap, eat some of his preserves, or give his muscles a rest. John takes time at the top of these hills to wonder about things, wondering about when he wont have to run anymore, when the ocean would stop rising, and when he would finally be able to piece together and fully process what had happened to him.  
  
        Today would not be that day.  
  
        John looked ahead, looking up towards the incoming obstacles, and there were plenty. He ran past a discarded fridge, a flipped truck, and miscellaneous metals looking to pierce his skin. He was glad his dad made him get a tetanus shot before this all went down. John looked up to see that salvation laid just ahead. A steep hill, that rose high above the ground, enough hill to give him about a three hour head start on the water. He would be able to eat and prioritize his problems when he reached the top. The salty smells of the sea tainted Johns nostrils, and he could smell nothing else. He could feel nothing other than the euphoria that entered his muscles when they realized that a break would be coming soon. What soon replaced that was doubt. The issue was, John was very weak. He had not had time to rest and eat in a day, not able to even sleep in three more. Would he really have the energy to get to the top without collapsing and having the ocean consume him? Not to mention, what if one of those pale white monstrosities laid in wait at the top? A monster made by the witch herself, combining animal DNA with some of her species DNA, creating these terrifying beasts that tore through humans carelessly.  
  
        John would have to take these risks by the neck and fight through them, just like Nic Cage would do. John hopes with all his heart that that glorious man survived all of this craziness. Deep, deep down he knows, the actor is probably floating dead somewhere, one of the first targets of the witch, taken out with ease. As John begins his climb up the hill, he wonders to himself if he has hopped over the old mans corpse.  
  
        Striding up the hill, John was pleasantly surprised to see that there was little to no debris up here. He decided, just this once, he could let his mind wander, as there is nothing to dodge. Instead of using this time to constructively confront his latest mental dilemma, John Egbert could think of only one thing; Mario Party. He had played that game with his dad on rainy days, when fat, grey clouds laid low on the atmosphere. His favorite character was toad, because he was so underrated. He remembered only really beating his dad once, and while he thinks about it now, he thinks it was just because his dad pitied him because of how just terrible he was at the game.  
  
        Pain, horrible aching pain entered his muscles, making John groan aloud, his concentration now focused on how much his muscles screamed at him to stop running, just give in to the water. John fought this pain and the pain in his gut, both of them yelling at him about different things. His belly was empty, the mighty need for sustenance making his stomach rumble as if there was an earthquake inside of him. At the same time, it felt as if his legs were on fire, but John was halfway up the hill and there was no stopping now. He pushed past the pain, pushing it out of his mind, repeating the mantra his dad would tell him. _Pain is only temporary, son. Its all in your head. Push past the pain, and you'll become invincible._ The thought of his dad opened up a new pit in his stomach, remembering him, remembering how he died. At least, John thinks hes dead. All he could remember was the blood red drones, adorned with the Crocker logos, coming to the refugee camp and either killing indiscriminately, or taking a chosen few. John was one of the only ones to get away. That was almost a year ago.  
  
        While he was spacing out, and thinking of his father, John did not realize that he was so close to the top. Snapping out of it, the pain rushed back in. He felt as if someone had set fire to his body, starting at his feet and the flames rising to lick and burn his lungs. He arrived at the top, breathing heavily, resting his arms on the back of his head and opening up his lungs. He kept his back turned to the top, just looking over at the horizon, and looking down to see the climb that he had just made. The horizon was painted in beautiful colors,  signifying to John that the sun was setting. He would have to tell time with the moon, his least favorite thing to do. He let out a sigh, and was about to sit down, before a girls voice hit his ears.  
  
        "Now who in the hell are you?" She asked, obviously impatient. John turned around to take in her appearance. She was a short, dark-skinned girl with pink glasses that reminded you of your Nanna. She had long, thick, black braids that trailed down to her hips. She wore a tattered, black crop top with the word ' Monsta' plastered across the front in white text. She wore loose fitting joggers, and john could tell by the waist band of her underwear that she wore hot pink boxers. Her shoes were running shoes that were clearly used often, as they were almost in disrepair. John was in shock of seeing another person, he forgot to answer the girls question. She pulls out a gun, and he raises his hands in surrender.  
  
        "Now, answer the glubbin question, boi. Who in the hell are you?"


	2. Be Rose.

The sky around the island swirled with clouds, as if it were to rain, and rain heavily. The air was heavy with the scent of the sea, and Rose wondered if it was finally done rising. She and her brother had taken refuge at the top of this mountain, or used to be mountain. The now mountain was surrounded in water, making a seemingly inescapable island for her and her brother to inhabit. The most puzzling thing about the island was, when Rose and her little brother first climbed to the peak of the mountain, it was barren, with only rich soil and few plants in their immediate vicinity. Now, large trees and their supporting roots were all around, as if they appeared overnight. The air was thick with the now trapped moisture, and the island was now vaguely tropical. Rose found this very strange, and hopes to investigate at a later date, but currently there were more pressing matters to attend to.

Dave is sick.

Her little brother coughed loudly in his slumber, alerting Rose, and taking her attention away from the sea and towards him. He had a raging fever, and kept having vivid hallucinations of different versions of 'himself' getting killed, or dying in some way, right in front of him. A few weeks back, Rose mentally diagnosed him with post traumatic stress disorder, but since he has been sick, it seems to have worsened in a way. Rose remembered the medication she kept in her backpack, medicine for him. She bent down, unzipping her back, and pulling out the slim orange bottle filled with circular, blue pills. She also pulled out one of the many boxes of apple juice she had stored, and made her way over to her little brother, who slept restlessly on a towel that was covered in little cartoon sharks, Dave only kept the towel ironically. Her flats swished into the swamplike soil, and Rose's nose crinkled in disgust. If they were to stay here, she would have to do something about the mud.

"Dave. Dave, wake up." Rose said with a soft voice, but her tone was commanding. The boy's eyelashes fluttered, and he let out a groan in protest.  
"Five more minutes, sis....Five more.." Dave mumbled, attempting to drift back into sleep's clutches.  
"Dave, you need to take your medication. Just a quick reminder, you are terribly ill." Rose set the medication and the juice down on the blanket, as she used both hands to gently slap his face back and forth. "I will go and get a bucket of frothy seawater and pour it atop your noggin if you do no get up." She threatened.

Dave, protesting with another groan, sat up from off the towel. He rubbed his head, moving his sunglasses he wore constantly. "Shit." He muttered, looking around at all the massive trees that surrounded them. "Did I nap so hard we went back to the Jurassic era, or what? I don't think I'm ready to flintstones this bitch, Rose."

Rose gave a half hearted laugh. "I am honestly not sure. Seeing our current predicament, I would say we have. The new hyper growth of plant matter must be due to the thousands of random chemicals being released into our planets atmosphere. At this point, I think the space witch is just experimenting, and we are her mutant, alien guinea pigs."

Dave gave a weak smile. "Way to be depressing as fuck, LaLonde. Glad to see you haven't changed throughout this overwhelming shitstorm we're still curr-" He was interrupted by his own coughing, that racked his body like a hurricane.

"You need your medication." Rose reminded, grabbing the items she set down earlier and handing them to him, and he took them gratefully in shaky hands.

"Hit me up, dealer. I'm itchin for my next fix." Dave's voice was raspy, as if the seawater had finally torn into his vocal cords. Rose also wondered if this voice crack was simply puberty, Dave was only fourteen after all. Rose was three years his elder, and had helped her little brother through all the challenges that the past year had thrown at them. Honestly, internally, Rose was elated at the world's end. It added a bit of variation to her schedule, that had already felt like she was spiraling downward into a never ending loop of maddening monotony. 

As Dave swallowed his medication and hydrated, Rose surveyed the area around them. To one side was the shore, and the new ocean. To the other, was the deep, dark forest, that she could not see too far into, due to the jungle of roots that came down from all over the place. She could see saplings on the shore that were growing at a slow rate, but still were visible to the human eye. 'That's how the trees got there so fast, they grew at an increased rate!' Rose finalized. The tress that were already there, fully grown, were in comprehensively large, large enough that they were about the same width of a car turned sideways. These trees had visible roots that could be seen slowly writhing, and searching for a water source to sap from. The roots that had already found a source were frozen in place, like concrete pillars. It made the inside of the forest look like some sort of natural jungle gym, and would definitely be a blast to swing around on and act childish upon. Rose thought the trees looked like some sort of hybrid between Redwood trees, Mangrove trees, and Willow trees, huge trees that had trailing leaves that swayed with the oceans cool breeze, letting little to no light underneath their canopy. The roots that supported the trees were the most interesting to Rose, looking like thousands of spindly legs that twisted through the dirt, through the air, and back around the trees, making the pale grey trees look like massive marble pillars to support the heavens, with blue and green leaves trailing down. Her thoughts were interrupted by Dave, who had a concerning thought of his own.

"What happens if the drones come back to get us?" His question echoed through the forest, giving it an ominous feel.

Rose took a moment to think. She took a few steps down into the forest, to take a peek a little deeper in, to look into the mushy maze of roots and darkness. "I am going to protect you. Just like Mom and Bro tried to do." She said, seriously. She chucked a rock into the darkness and watched it land, after it bounced off a rock. Rose suddenly got an idea. "Why don't we live in here? In the forest?" She proposed, turning around to smile at him.

"Oh hell to the no. It's like a fucking swamp in there. What happens when the mountain people, you know those houses we saw had to be inhabited right, what if they come back and like brutally murder us for steppin all over their sweet swamp mud?" His face was shocked at her question, but internally, Dave was considering her offer.

"The ocean forest is massive, Dave-"  
"Ocean forest?" Dave interrupted. "You're giving it a name?"  
"Yes, shut your mouth, the forest is massive." She repeated. "And it seems to get somewhat deeper as I step down. Also, we both know for a fact that those people were most likely slaughtered months ago, and the crows most likely already ate their remains." Rose motioned to the forest, trying to talk some sense into her brother. "We could make homes among the roots, cutting paths and making a new life in here! It would be impossible for the witch's drones to make their way in here. The roots are too dense and not easily cut into. This place could be safe!" She exclaimed, wanting her brother to understand that she only wanted what was best for him.

"Goddamnit Rose, why the fuck do you always gotta be so damn morbid all the time. Now I cant stop thinking about those crows." Dave paused, as if to consider her idea. "Fine, fine. Lets give this godforsaken maze a shot." Dave surrendered easily in his condition, almost too easily, which worried Rose even more. They would usually be bickering for an hour when he was healthy, before he seceded to her fact. 

Dave stood on shaky legs, rolling up the towel and collecting his things in his backpack. He slung it over his shoulder carelessly, then adjusted his glasses. "Let's dive in."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> x2 update extravaganza   
> Constructive Criticism is welcome!  
> If you like the story so far, feel free to leave Kudos!


	3. Be Karkat.

The abandoned town had somewhat of a homey feel to Karkat.As if, in someways, this was like his hometown, before the witch destroyed it. Karkat walked through and around the cement rubble, wearing clothes that made him blend with his surroundings, if only a little. He wore a grey, tattered jacket, with a grey shirt underneath, light brown cargo shorts, and black, worn sneakers. All he had to wear now barely fit, as he couldn't just walk to the store to get new clothes. That would be preposterous for two reasons. One, he didn't have any currency on him, two, most of the clothing stores had already been looted. Acquiring new clothes of any kind would be a challenging task. The only thing that wasn't snug on him was his jacket, which fit him just right. It was a hand me down from his brother, and had a lot of sentimental value to Karkat. He carried on his back a grey backpack that was stuffed with his various supplies. The majority of the space in the bag was taken up by the numerous cans of beans. Baked beans, black beans, barbecue beans, you name it, Karkat had it. He also carried a flashlight, a notebook, three water bottles, and his second most precious possession, an I-pod he had received on his 11th birthday, four years ago. 

 

Karkats most prized possession waddled on four legs beside him, like any loyal dog would. A small, fat, black pug, whom Karkat holds close to his heart. He hand his brother had saved the pug from the wreckage of an old town hall, 6 months ago. Karkats brother had appropriately named the pug, "The Mayor" or "Mayor" for short. The dog had a skill for finding small foods that Karkat liked. The noise of his snorting little nose was the only sound that filled the air, other than the crunching of the pulverized city beneath his feet. This made Karkat smile slightly, he thought it was adorable. The mayor was his constant companion . His only companion for 4 months. The small dogs bark filled the near silent air, which was immediately followed by Karkat's shushing. The Mayor dashed across the rugged landscape, turning down a road that looks like it used to be main street, where the skeletons of buildings still stood. Chasing after him, Karkat hoped that he wouldn't be spotted by a passing drone, who would come to kill him and his dog. Honestly, Karkat was more concerned about The Mayor's safety than his own. As he turned the corner, he could see the mayor furiously digging at a specific pile of rubble, determined to get something.

"What is it, boy?" Karkat asked, in the most hushed tone that he could manage, which was still pretty loud, due to some damage to his eardrums, most likely caused by being so close to an explosive when it went off. 

The dog barked again, digging furiously at the gravel, until his claws hit solid glass bottle, filled with some sort of liquid. Upon closer examination, he noticed the label. "Uncle G's kick your ass hot sauce." Karkat began to smile widely, for the first time in a long time. This was his favorite hot sauce. With one hand, he slipped the bottle into his pack, as it was no bigger than his thumb, while with the other, he crouched down to give The mayor a good scratch between the ears. Together, they continued down main street. 

Looking up to examine the sky, Karkat noticed it was still grey, which was a good thing. It made the blood red drones easier to see, and easier to run from. The drones had been hunting he and his brother since the beginning of all this, and the reason why was obvious. They had been preaching to the people, attempting to rally them against the evil corporation that was quickly taking over other companies all around the world. Four months had gone by since his brother was taken. It had been a long four months without his brother.

Karkat was simply surviving. Not living.

Walking down the street, Karkat spotted a building that wasn't like the others, it wasn't crumbling and broken in most places, and it was just over the next pile of cement rocks. Being careful on the rickety rubble, he grabbed The Mayor, as this environment was too risky for his nubbly legs, picked him up, and carried him as he climbed. Reaching the top, Karkat looked at the building. It looked to be an old timey bed and breakfast, in the middle of the town. Karkat guessed that it was probably surrounded by dainty little french themed shops that attracted tourists and exhausted travelers from near and far. Karkat took his time making his way down the cement pile, making sure not to drop The Mayor, break his ankles, or arms. At the bottom, he placed the mayor back down, and the dog barked happily, as if to say "Thank you, I enjoyed the ride!" Karkat quickly shushed him though, saying, "Keep your flap trap shut, mayor. There could be crooked criminals around who would just love to eat you for dinner." Karkat and his faithful companion approached the B&B.

The blackened doors were heavy, and they opened outwards. Karkat supposed that would be a good thing, because it made it harder for intruders to break in. He reached into his bag, and searched for his flashlight to light up the dark room that laid just beyond sight. He turned it on, and shone it out into murky darkness that occupied the room. Light reflected off of the dust particles that floated daintily through the air, making the room look like it was glimmering in some places. The ceiling was high and was supported by four beams that looked like tree logs. In the center of the four beams, the floor was a little lower, and a chandelier laid broken in the very middle. Looking up, Karkat could see the chain it broke from. A few windows near the ceiling let little light in, and what did shine though shone in golden beams. He could see some rubble, but the worst thing about the place seemed to be all the broken bottles. Shining his flashlight through the bottles made little kaleidoscopes of light upon the floor. Walking down the creaking wooden steps, toward the chandelier, he told The mayor to sit and stay at the door, trying to whisper. His voice bounced off the walls, and Karkat cursed himself mentally. The mayor sat, obediently, and panted slightly. He stood guard over what came in and out of the place, so Karkat would know if there was danger. 

When he reached the chandelier, Karkat could see the entire room. 

To his left and right, Karkat could see that there were old staircases build into the walls, most likely up to the bedrooms of the place. That could be promising for looting, but also dangerous because of the low lighting. Cautiously stepping over the smashed bottles, Karkat muttered, "What kind of serendipitous assholes get drunk in the apocalypse and live.." 

Whomever the lucky few were, they were far from here. The broken glass was covered in a fine layer of dust. He repeated to the mayor to stay, as he headed toward the western staircase. Most of the stairs were broken, and taking the dog up would've been problematic. He didn't want the dog to be hurt. Nearly at the top, Karkat stopped dead in his tracks. A loud creak sounded throughout the B&B, signaling to Karkat that someone else was here. Upon closer inspection of the stairs, he could see small footprints in the dust. So either this was a big person with small feet, or, it was a little kid. Karkat pulled his curved lade from its sheath, and continued up.

The first two rooms had nothing in them. There were no beds, no furniture, nothing. Completely empty, which creeped Karkat out a bit. Approaching the third room, a chill ran up his spine. Opening the door, he saw a little girl in the corner. She wore black everything, except her bright red slippers. She didn't move. Karkat could only assume that she was the one who made the creaking noise. 

"Hello-" She spun around to look at him, and he could see that her eyes looked to be burned out, as if someone threw acid on them. She held a cane in her hand, not unlike the ones blind people use. She looked fairly young, maybe eight or nine years old, but she had a fierce look of determination on her face.  
"The court demands you state your name and business!" She shouted, which surprised Karkat a bit, he didn't expect her to be so loud.   
"My name is Karkat Vantas, I was searching for food-"   
"Illegally?!" She exclaimed. The little girl accented her speaking with some kind of movement of her cane.  
"Well, with no law system in place-" Karkat started, but was cut off yet again.  
"I am the law!" She shouted as she charged him, cane at the ready.

The little girl nearly beat the life out of Karkat before The mayor began charging up the steps. He barked furiously at the girl, demanding her attention. She immediately stopped, smelling the air.  
"A dog?" She asked, squatting down. The mayor rubbed up against her legs, huffing loudly. The girl began petting him. "Is he your dog?" She asked.  
"Yeah...yeah he's my dog." Karkat answered, coughing a bit of blood. The whole situation was very shocking and confusing, he just decided to roll with it.   
"What's his name?" She asked.  
'Well, currently its traitor.' He thought, before answering truthfully, "His name is The Mayor."  
"The Mayor? How adorable!" She was smiling, and Karkat could see a few of her teeth were jagged. "Can i feed him? I have some meat." She asked standing and waling over to her bag in the corner.

"Yeah, sure. He has been living off of lukewarm canned beans, he probably thinks I'm an asshole for only being able to provide that for him." Karkat said, not believing that the little dog actually saved his life.  
"Just beans? Disgusting." She frowned heavily, then called the dog over, feeding him a piece of meat.   
"His farts are like a nuclear bomb went off, stinking up the whole room."  
"We'll have to evacuate the precious citizens so we can survive, if he does." The girl snickered. "The court has decided to pardon you, but only because of your precious dog. My name is Terezi, and I am the high counselor judge of the court."  
"Good afternoon, ms terrazzo, high counselor judge of the court." Karkat played along, as to not get injured again.  
"Good afternoon, lowly peasant." Terezi laughed loudly, and it echoed through the B&B, but the only set of ears that could hear it were Karkats and the Mayors.

**Author's Note:**

> If you like my story, please leave kudos and a comment below, constructive criticism is welcome!


End file.
